Raisin-seeder.



No. 639,756. Patented Dec. 26, i899.

W. M. MCCNNAUGHAY. l

RAISIN SEEDEB.

Y (Application illed Apr. 29 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No..s9,756. Patented nec. 26, |899.

W. M. MCCNNAUGHAY.

BISIN SEEDER.v (Application med Apr. 29, '1 a`as.) (No Model.) 2 Shaets--Sheet 2.

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rrnn STATES PATENT Ormes,

CALIFORNIA SEEDING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CALIFORNIA.

RAlSlN-SEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,756, dated December 26, 1899.

Application filed April 29, 1898. Serial No. 679,223. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MonToN Mc- CONNAUGHAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fresnoin the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful vImprovements in Raisin- Seeders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a raisin-seeder adapted to rapid voluminous work and in its operation first prepares the raisins for seeding by pressing them into a thin flat shape and then feeding them with marked regularity by means of an apron located very close to an impaling-belt, the said feeding device placing the raisins by single rows at one time across the apron and upon the teeth of a series of saws, and at this step of the operation the impaling-belt begins to press the pulp of the raisins between the teeth of the said saws and force the said pulp away from the seed.

The invention consists of the specific and general construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to facilitate the operation of seeding raisins in large quantities, thus saving the expense usually incidental to machines working slowly, and efficiently remove the seeds without mutilating the pulp to any marked degree.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a` side elevation of a raisin-seeding machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the raisiniiattening concave removed from the machine and which is adapted to cooperate with the feed-roll and a portion of the impaling-belt. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a fragment of the impaling-belt. Fig. 4 is a similar view of a fragment of the seed-extracting belt. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken centrally through the machine shown by Fig. l, and Fig. 6 is an elevation looking at the rear endl of the machine.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several views,

the numeral l designates a frame of any preferred form of construction and has at different points therein vertical and horizontal supports-such as sills, braces, and analogous 55 devices-to accommodate the reception and relative location of the several mechanisms, which will be more fully hereinafter setforth. All the rolls, pulleys, and belts, or, in fact, any rotatable parts that may be hereinafter 6o referred to are intended to move with any desired speed. In the upper portion of one end of the frame l a feeding chute or trough 2 is movably suspended preferably by rods 3 and at an angle of inclination, the outer end being higher than the inner end. Below the said feeder a shaft a is located and extends the full width of the machine and has thereon a pulley 5, carrying a wrist-pin G, of course eccentrically positioned thereon. Attached 7o to the'wrist-pin 6 and to one edge of the feeding trough or chute 2 .is a shaking-arm 7, which imparts a reciprocating motion to the said feeding trough or chute, and thereby moves the raisins toward the lower end of said feeding device. On the shaftll is firmly secured a roll 8, which is constructed of any suitable hard substance and extending the full width of the machine, the shaft 4 being slightly longer than the said roll to engage 8o suitable bearings and also to receive the pulley 5 at one end., In advance of the roll S a hollow roll 9 is mounted and has rotary motion imparted thereto, and traveling over the same and asecond roll lO at the opposite side of the machine and in line with the said roll 9 is an impaling-belt 11, which must also be of the width of the machine on which it is used and is composed, preferably, of a leather or canvas base overlaid with soft rubber on the outer 9o i surface, which may be either smoth, corrugated, or checked. The roll l0 is operated by a shaft l2, mounted in movable bearings 13, which are adapted to be adjusted by means of a screw-rod-and handle 14,' the latter ex- 95 tending upwardly through the frame and withinconvenientreachingdistance. Onthe said shaft l2 is also mounted a pulley 15, and the shaft l2 and roll l0 extend entirely across the machine, as well as the roll 9 and impalroo ing-belt 11. Leading from a point between the rolls 8 and 9, the latter being closely arranged, is the upper end of a metallic apron 16 of a concave form and having its opposite end extending over a part of a saw-cylinder 17, composed of a series of circular saws placed on a shaft 18 with a narrow space between each saw. The back edge`of each of the teeth of the saws points directly to the center of the shaft, the point of the teeth being diamond or chisel shaped and the bevel slanting from the point in the direction that the saws move. The adjacent end of the apron 16 fully projects over the said saw-cylinder from end to end, the said apron and cylinderbeing also extended from one side of the frame to the other. The saw-cylinder is operated by means of a pulley 19 on the shaft 18, which is engaged by a belt 20, ruiming to the pulley 5, and the impaling-belt 11 closely bears upon the upper portion of the said cylinder 17, passing between the said cylinder and a guide and presser-roll 21. The rolls 9 and l0 are so situated relatively to the cylinder 17 that the said impaling-belt is drawn up over the said cylinder in a curved line and a pressure is thereby instituted between the said belt and cylinder, which facilitates the operation of forcing the raisins upon the saw-teeth. Under the apron 16 a series of shedders 22 are positioned and consist of rear arms 23, having front crescent-shaped heads 24, which engage the spaces between the circumferential lines ofsaw-teeth,` the said shedders being closely arranged in series and equal in number to the said spaces between the saw-teeth, and the function of the same is to remove the fruitpulp from the saw or prevent said pulp from being forced down too closely between the saw-teeth andin such position as to prevent succeeding mechanism from properly operating thereon. Below the shaft 12 is another shaft 25, mounted in adjustable bearings, which are operated by screw-rods 26, exteriorly projecting from one end of ythe machine. On the said shaft 25 is a pulley 27, which is surrounded by a belt 28, running from the pulley 15 on the said shaft 12. A roller 29 is also fixed on said shaft 25, and moving over the same and over a lower roller or elongated pulley 30 is a seed-extracting belt 3l., having a series of steel picks 32 on the outer surface thereof. The roller 29 and the roller or pulley 30 are also arranged in such position relatively to the saw-cylinder 17'that the seedextracting belt will be brought to bear against the saw-teeth with a certain amount of tension and in a curved line to always insure an engagement of the said belt with the cylinder. Above the roller 29 and standing closely to the saw-cylinder is a concave 33, having mounted therein a series of removable bars 34, carrying teeth 35. By having the teeth of the concave mounted on bars, breakage of one or more of the teeth in any one of the bars can easily be remedied by removing such bar or bars and substituting others therefor without rendering the entire concave unfit for use or ineicient in its operation.

All of the parts, as will be understood from the construction and arrangement heretofore set forth, will be extended from one side to the other of the machine, and this is done to give a greater' workingsurface andpermit operation on a larger quantity of raisins.

In operation the raisins are dropped from the automatic feeder, consisting of the chute or trough 2, between the rolls 8 and 9 and onto the adjacent portion of the apron 16, the latter being so closely arranged to the said rolls that as the ilnpaling-belt 1l comes around over the roll 9 and the apron the raisins will be brought adjacent to the said belt and carried along over the said apron to the sawteeth of the saw-cylinder. The raisins deposited on the apron are first prepared for seeding by being pressed and iiattened out by the impaling-belt and the resistance offered by the said apron and are subsequently evenly fed on the saws. VtThen the raisins thus prepared fall upon the saws, the impaling-belt begins pressing the pulp of the raisins between the saws, with the raisin-seeds remaining on the points of the teeth, the pressure con tin ning to increase until the presser-roll 21 is reached, at which point, by reason of the close relation between said roll and the saw-cylinder, sufiicient pressure is exerted to force the yielding surface of the impaling-belt, whether it be checked or corrugatechclose around the seeds, and thereby force the pulp away from them. 0n leaving the presser-roll 21 the raisins will have been cleared from the im palingbelt and deposited upon the saws of the cylinder 17, andthe raisins will then be positioned on the saws so that the pulps thereof are pressed between said saws and the seeds held on the points of the teeth with the skin of the raisins drawn firmly over said teeth, and in this condition the raisins are carried by the saws to the concave 33. The small teeth of the concave cut the skins which are drawn tightly over the sides of the points of the saws and loosen said seeds. From this point, with all the pulp between the saws, the skins over the seeds ruptured, and the seeds loosened, the product is then carried by the saws to engaging position with the extractingbelt 31, where the seeds are removed by the short steel or wire picks. On leaving the seed-extracting belt all .the pulp is drawn between the saws and the seeds removed, and in this condition the pulp is finally operated uponby the shedder being sharp enough to pass under the raisin-pu lps between the saws, and as the saws move toward the shedder the said pulps are lifted clear of the teeth andV anism, the latter consisting in the saw-tooth` cylinder and the movable impaling-apron; secondly, the presser-roll 2l operates to depress the pulp of the raisins into the spaces IOO IIO

between the teeth on said saw-cylinder andI thereby to impale the raisin-skins on the sawteeth; thirdly, the toothed concave breaks the raisin-skins as the pulps of the raisins are presented to the concave; fourthly, the

toothed seed-apron removes the seeds from` the saw-teeth of the revoluble cylinder while allowing the raisin-pulp3 to remain in engagement with the cylinder, and, finally, the shedding mechanism removes the raisin-pulp from the revoluble cylinder, because this shedding mechanism closely embraces the cylinder in the' intervals between the series or rows of teeth thereon.

The teeth of my revoluble saw-cylinder are peculiarly formed for the-purpose of having the raisin-pulps wedged in the intervals between said teeth and to carry the raisin-pulps to and past the concave and the spiked seedapron and to effect the removal of the seed from the raisins when the pnlps are forced by the impaling-apron and the presser-roll 2l into the spaces between the teeth. Each tooth has its rear edge in a line radially to the axis of the cylinder; but the edge which faces in the direction in which the tooth travels in the rotation of the cylinder is inclined for a part of its length to a radius of the cylinder and the outer extremity of the inclined part of the tooth is abruptly inclined, as clearly shown by Fig. l. By giving the donble inclination to the front edge of the tooth a space is left for the wedging of the raisinpulp and a space is provided on the outer extremity of the tooth when it is opposed to the surface of the impaling-apron, which space allows the seed to lodge or adhere to the tooth in a manner to effect the removal of the seed by the spikes of the seed-apron lwhich are adapted to travel in close relation to the beveled ends of the teeth on said cylinder.

It will be understood that subsequent to the action of the impaling-belt and the presser-roller 21 relatively to the toothed cylinder the raisin-pulps are pressed upon the teeth of the cylinder or they are impaled thereby. This operation of impaling the raisins on the teeth causes the teeth to press the raisin-seed vthrough the pulp and to the skins, and the skins of the raisins are drawn firmly over the teeth of the saws. In order to remove the seeds from the raisins which are impaled by the teeth, it is desirable to cut or slit the raisin-skins, and to attain this end' I provide the concave in close relation to the cylinder, said concave having teeth which extend toward the rows of cylinder-teeth and operate efficiently in cutting the skin, so that the raisin-seeds may lodge on the cylinder-teeth, and said seeds may be removed by the seedextracting belt before the raisin-pnlps are thrownl off the cylinder by the shedders.

Changes in the dimensions,proportions, and minor details of construction may be made and substituted for those shown and described without in the least departing from the nature or spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I-Iaving thus described the invention, what is claimed asnew isl. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combi-V nationl of a saw-cylinder, rolls on opposite sides of the cylinder, an impaling-belt engaging said roll's and cylinder, a concave under one of the rolls leading to the said cylinder and closely arranged to the iinpaling-belt for the purpose of flattening the raisins, means for delivering the raisins to the said concave, and means for releasing the seeded raisins from the said cylinder.

2. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination of a cylinder having a series of 'teeth thereon, an impaling-belt engaging the said cylinder. and operating` to press the raisins closely on the teeth thereof, an unyielding apron over which the said impalingbelt closely travels and liattens the raisins thereon, and shedders engaging the said cylinder.

3. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination of a saw-cylinder, an impaling-belt movable over the upper portion of said cylinder, a presser-roll located adjacent to said cylinder for instituting a pressure of the belt closely against the cylinder, an unyielding apron over which said belt also moves for attening the raisins before being fed to the said cylinder, means for feeding the raisins to the apron, a concave on oneside of the cylinder for loosening up the pulp and breaking the skins of the raisins, a seed-extracting belt having series of picks thereon bearing against the said cylinder, and shedders for clearing the cylinder of the raisin-pulp.

4. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination with a cylinder having a series of points projecting therefrom, an impaling-belt closely bearing upon the upper portion of said cylinder, and an apron over which the said belt also closely moves to flatten` the raisins before delivery to the said cylinder.

5. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination of a cylinder having teeth projecting ICO IIO

therefrom, means for impressing raisins upon said cylinder, spaced rollers adjacent to said cylinder, and a traveling seed-extractor belt .supported by said rollers to present a con- Iadvance of the said roll below the chute or trough, a sawcylinder between the oppositely-disposed rolls, one of the latter rolls being closely arranged to the roll below the chute or trough, an apron extending from the pair of rolls situated close to the said cylinder, an impaling-belt surrounding the oppo- IZO of a 1'aisinflattening mechanism situated inadvance of the toothed cylinder and contiguous to the impaling-surface, said impalingsurface cooperating with the raisin-flattening mechanism and with the toothed cylinder, substantially as described.

S. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination with a revoluble toothed cylinder, and an impaling-surface cooperating therewith, of a feed-rollin advance of the toothed cylinder and in active relation to the impaling-sur-v face, and a flatteningapron situated between the feed-roll and the toothed cylinder and conforming to the impaling-surface to serve in connection therewith in pressing raisins to a flattened condition before passing to the toothed cylinder, substantially as described.

9. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination with a revoluble toothed cylinder, apron-rolls arranged vin planes on opposite sides of the axis of the cylinder, and an impalin g-apron fitted to said rolls, of a toothed concave below the path of the impaling-apron and contiguous to the surface of the cylinder, and apresser-roll situated between the apron-rolls and opposite to the cylinder to act against the impalingapron, substantially as described.

10. In a raisin-seeding machine, a revoluble cylinder having the teeth thereof provided with bevels which incline backwardly from the direction of rotation of said cylinder, combined with an impal-ing-surface in active relation to the cylinder, and a traveling spiked seed-apron supported by rollers to present a concave surface to the toothed cylinder and arranged for its spikes to travel contiguous to the path described by the beveled faces of the cylinder-teeth, substantially as described.

11. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination of a rvoluble toothed cylinder having its teeth provided with beveled outer extremities, an impaling device, a toothed Aconcave below the impaling device, and a seed-removing mechanism having spikes or teeth arranged to travel contiguous to the path of the beveled extremities of the cylinder-teeth, substantially as described.

12. In a raisin-seeding machine, the combination with a revoluble toothed cylinder, a feed mechanism, and an impaling-surface to wedge the raisin-pulpe between the teeth and force the seed toV lodge on the cylinder-teeth, of a toothed concave having its teeth projecting toward the cylinder to break-the skins of the raisins, a seed-clearing mechanism contiguous to the path of the cylinder-teeth, and a shedding mechanism operatively fitted to the cylinder in the intervals between the rows of teeth thereon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM M. MoCONNAUGI-IAY.

. Witnesses:

FRANK LANING, W. A. CONN. 

